Um, what I mean is, if you don’t have to live or work there, who doesn’t love Cicero politics?

A new Cicero town president race is once again upon us, and it includes allegations by incumbent Larry Dominick that one of his opponents, Juan Ochoa, is using gang members on his campaign…

Dominick would not comment for this story, but Cicero town spokesman Ray Hanania said, “Dominick is probably using CeaseFire members and volunteers to help him get re-elected.” But he added that some of the individuals on the Ochoa campaign have been included by the Chicago Crime Commission in its current book of known gang members.

According to Ochoa… a truck denouncing him and Gutierrez attempted to block Ochoa and his campaign workers while they were walking in the parade. The billboard on the flat truck read “Tell Luis Gutierrez and Juan Ochoa to take their Street Gang Friends back to Chicago.”

Man, that’s old school.

* Of course, there are the obligatory allegations that some folks have been put into the race to split an ethnic voting bloc. The town is 80 percent Latino. Dominick is not a Latino. So, some say this guy is a plant…

De Loera, a lifelong Cicero resident, said he’s still developing a plan for the town… “President Dominick has done a good job bringing new businesses to town, but I am younger and have a hunger to do even more for the community.”

Hey, at least he answered his phone, so maybe he isn’t a plant because they tend to go way underground, or to Florida.

Let’s see Al Capone moved his operations out to Cicero in 1924 when the heat got to be too much in Chicago. One has to wonder what has actually changed in the past 88 years?
One thing to keep in mind is that Dominick is part of the Cicero Township Republicn Organization for all those who think only Democrats are corrupt in Cook county.

===allegations that some folks have been put into the race to split an ethnic voting bloc. ===
That backfired in Cicero a couple of years ago when they accidently elected a state rep who was just suppose to split the vote.

According to news reports over the years, some of Dominick’s allies have some pretty strong ties to the traditional (since 1924) sub rosa power structure in Cicero, as well as their one-percenter hog-riding associates.

Chicago Magazine ran a great story earlier this year or last year about the ties between african american aldermen, state reps and other elected officials in the city, and the gangs and gang leaders operating in their areas. Quite a few of them have business ties and also work with them on community issues and their political campaigns. This is not a new thing or unique to cicero or chicago by any stretch.

My dad grew up in Cicero when Polish was the primary language. An uncle played in the Capone party band. The faces/names may have changed, but the policy/procedure manual on how to play is exactly the same.

Having worked here in Cicero for the last several years; have staff who also live here and know people who work for the “town”, it has been very eye opening on how things work here.
This election is going to be very interesting. This is especially in light of hopefully the unfolding of interesting information that Elizabeth(soon to be Larry’s ex)will reveal to the Fed’s. She’s a very interesting person- I had the misfortune to meet her in my office last year(that’s a story).
However, given what I know, nothing ever surprises me. I was just at the Town Board meeting two weeks ago to present and it really appears that there’s very little care about any of the Fed stuff or the actual corruption that goes on. I have to say that many people appear to be drinking the same “Dominick” water so to speak.

To the other half of the post…
The geniuses at “ABC NewsChannel 20″ had to retract their report on the results of the coin flip last night. They identified the wrong guy as the winner.
Talk about not knowing heads from tails.